Tangle cutter for reapers and similar agricultural implements



NOV. 2, 1937. HlTE 2,097,921

TANGLE CUTTER FOR REAPERS AND SIMILAR AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS Filed July 20, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 8M XWW Nov. 2, 1937. F. M. HITE 2,097,921

TANGLE CUTTER FOR REAPERS AND SIMILAR AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS Filed July 20, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ammo p fZ d-I'ha I/W. Hit 2 warm Patented Nov. 2, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TANGLE CUTTER FOR REAPERS AND SIM- ILAR AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS The present invention relates to a device which is installed upon reapers, binders and similar implements, and its primary object is to overcome the following difficulty sometimes encountered in harvesting grains. Under some conditions the heads of the grains become tangled. This may be brought about by other Vegetation growing with the grain, or it may be occasioned by the physical structure of the grain itself. Regardless of how this entanglement is brought about it is difficult to cut such grain.

As the grain is being cut or reaped, portions of the tangled grain are cut by the sickle of the reaper and portions are left standing to one side of the swath being cut. The standing grain pulls the cut grain from the grain table of the reaper. This will tend to overload the grain table in some instances, and underload it in other instances, will cause the grain to lie irregularly upon the table making it difficult to bind, will result in a double or irregular cutting of the grain stalks, and so forth. The present invention is designed, where tangled grain is encountered and part is cut and part is left standing, to cut the entangled portions so that the cut grain will remain upon the grain table of the reaper while the uncut portions of such tangled grain is left standing.

The accompanying drawings illustrate a preferred form of my invention which can be readily mounted upon the conventional types of reaping and harvesting implements. I In the drawings, Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a grain binder, and illustrates in side elevation my invention mounted thereon. Fig- 5 ure 2 is the sectional view indicated by section line 2-2 in Figure 1. Figure 3 is the fragmentary plan view with portions in section, and is taken from line 3-3 in Figure 2. Figure 4 is a fragmentary front elevation of one end of a binder. This view shows my invention mounted thereupon. Figure 5 is a perspective of the support member employed for supporting the tangle cutter. Figure 6 is a fragmentary view of the divider board of a reaper, and shows a portion of the tangle cutter as being closely associated therewith.

In the drawings, similar characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring now to the drawings, the numeral l indicates one end of a conventional reaper or binder, specifically the grain table thereof and the divider board; 2, the sickle; 3, the sickle guard; 4, a Z-bar extending along the front of the grain table and supporting the guard and sickle; 5, an angle member extending rearwardly and forming a portion of the body frame associated with the ground wheel 1; 6 is the divider board dividing the swath cut from the uncut or standing grain during the operation of the reaper; and 8 is the endless apron carrying out grain to the binding apparatus, not shown.

The numeral 9 indicates a support member consisting of a rear wall Be, an end wall 9b with an oifset therein, an arm 9d projecting from the end wall parallelly with and in front of the rear wall, and a boss projecting rearwardly from the arm, indicated by numeral 96, and having a bearing 9f. A boss 9g, projecting forwardly from rear wall 9a, is provided with a bearing 9h in line with and complementing bearing 9f. Two spaced bosses, 9i and 911', project rearwardly from the rear wall 9a. And lastly projecting from rear wall 9a and offset 90 of end wall 92) is a seat or base 9k for mounting the support upon a harvesting implement. All these specific details of construction have a particular use which will become apparent as this description progresses.

The support member 9 is mounted to and upon Z-bar 4 as shown in Figures 3 and 4, with the seat 970 resting upon and securing it to such bar. To the boss 92 is secured the forward end of the frame angle 5, and to the boss 97' is secured the forward end of the brace bar to. Both angle 5 and bar l0 enter into the construction of reaper I, and other than that have no connection with the present invention. Mounted upright in the offset 90 is a sickle guard bar and support H provided with guards l2, together forming a slide or guideway for the sickle l3. Sickle bar M of sickle I3 slidably engages the inner face of the end 9?) and is slidable within the projection l5 of support II. In order that grain passing rearwardly along the upper edge of divider board 6 will not become wedged between it and one of the guards l2, the upper edge of the board is recessed or cut out at Hi to permit positioning of one of the guards as shown. Mounted upon the pin ll seated in the bearings 9 and 9h is a bell crank 18. A link I9 has its lower end pivotally secured to one arm of crank l8 and the other end secured to sickle bar l4. To the other arm of crank I8 is pivotally secured one end of the link 20 while the other end of such link is secured to sickle 2. From this it will be seen that as the sickle is reciprocated in amanner and for a purpose well known in the art, sickle l3 will be likewise reciprocated.

Conforming to modern practice the divider board 6 is made to fold rearwardly. Though some of the details of this construction are omitted as relating particularly to the binder itself, and hence is known to the art, the forward bracing elements for the divider board 6 are herein shown in their relationship to member to provide for rearward folding of the board. These consist of abrace rod 2E having its ends pivotally connected respectively to the point 22 of the board, and the end wall so of member 9; and a second brace rod 28, likewise pivotally connected between ar'm'Qd and the opposite Side of nose 22.

In operation, the sickle i3 is operated as heretofore related. When tangled grain is engaged by the reaper and portions are cut as it passes to one side of the divider board and portions are left standing as it passes to the other side of the board, the heads of the grain will move rearwardly along the upper edge of the board where it engages the sickle i3 in a manner that the standing grain is separated from the grain cut by sickle 2, the uncut grain remaining standing and the cut grain falling upon the apron 8.

The term grain and grains is to be understood, in so far as this description is concerned, as referring to various, crops harvested by reapers, mowers and the like.

It is also to be understood that the construction set forth is susceptible of various modifications to enable it to be incorporated in various types of harvesting implements.

While a specific form of the improvement has been described and illustrated-herein, it is desired to be understood that the same may be varied, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the inven- Having described my invention, I claim- 1. A tangle cutter for agricultural implements employed for cutting crops and provided with a reciprocating sickle for that purpose, comprising a support member mounted to the implement beneath the divider board thereof, braces pivotally connected between the forward end of the divider board and the member for folding such board, a sickle support mounted vertically upon such support and extending adjacent the outer side of the divider board and projecting thereabove,'a sickle reciprocatably mounted within the sicklesupport, a bell crank journaled in the support member, a link connected between the sickle of the implement and one arm of the bell crank,

and a link connected between the other arm of the bell crank and the second sickle.

2. A tangle cutter for agricultural implements employed for cutting crops and provided with a reciprocating sickle for that purpose, a body provided with a rear wall, an end wall with an offset therein, and an arm projecting from the end wall parallelly with the rear wall; a boss projecting from the arm rearwardly toward. the rear wall, a bossprojecting forwardly from the rear wall toward the arm, a bearing in each boss in line with the other, a shaft in the bearings, a bell crank mounted upon the shaft, a seat projecting from rear and end Wall securing the body to the implement adjacent one end of the implement sickle, a sickle support mounted vertically in the ofiset of the end, a sickle reciprocatably mounted in the sickle support, a link connecting one arm of the bell crank to the second sickle, and a link connecting the other arm of the bell crank to the implement sickle.

3. A support member for vertical sickles employed in conjunction with sickles of agricultural implements, comprising a member having a base for mounting at'the outer end of the sickle guard bar of the implement, a seat in said member in which to mount a sickle guard bar vertically, a guard bar mounted vertically therein, means for mounting a bell crank on the support member, a bell crank mounted thereon, a link connected between the implement sickle and one arm of the bell crankand a second link having one end connected to the other arm of the bell crank and its other end adapted for connecting with a sickle bar in the vertical sickle guard bar.

4. A support member, for vertical sickles employed in conjunction with sickles of agricultural implements, comprising a member having a base for mounting at the outer end of the sickle guard bar of the implement, said member having an oilset portion forming a seat for a vertical sickle guard bar, a sickle guard bar mounted vertically in said seat, a pair of oppositely positioned spaced bosses, a bell crank journaled in said bosses, a link connected between the implement sickle and one arm of the bell crank, and a second link having one end connected to the other arm of the. bell crank and its other end adapted for connecting with a sickle bar in the vertical sickle guard bar.

FERDINAND M. HITE. 

